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EXCLUSIVE: Stream Jerry Castle’s Spacey, One-Of-A-Kind New Album

When most musicians are looking to get away from the world and be re-inspired, they might take a long solo walk or a private vacation with family. They usually don’t think to float suspended in a pitch-black sensory deprivation tank made weightless by epsom salts. Unless, of course, you’re Jerry Castle. Since Nashville singer-songwriter Castle started immersing himself in the relaxation experience of sensory deprivation, his music has evolved from Americana to spacey stuff with slight hints of his older material, mostly peeking out from his vocals, a low tenor that remains (thankfully) unchanged despite the instrumental evolution around him.

On his latest record, Not So Soft Landing, which you can stream exclusively at Elmore below, Castle’s newest musical identity is made apparent with atmospheric arrangements and old-school tones. Beginning the album is “Ride,” full of sweeping sonic pulses and multi-instrumentation that comes together to bind the echoing vocals. Next is “She Kills,” a melancholic storytelling track with moody lyrics like “Doctor gave her pills to keep from being sad/She’ll kill to feel anything.” Later, the psychedelic elements influenced by Castle’s time in the tank comes to the forefront of “Medicine,” the first half of which has a droopy, dopey vibe, while the second half expertly switches to subtle folk tones. When the album ends with Castle’s version of Blind Melon’s “Change,” that’s exactly what the journey felt like. The vocals lead the track with a story, making way for bright harmony and country-rock instrumentation.

Not So Soft Landing experiments with the different qualities Jerry Castle unearthed within himself when he took the time to relax and be re-inspired. Though some tracks are spacey or funky, others are marked by Castle’s signature country jam-band vibe, creating an experience that is unique to Castle alone, until he shares the result with the rest of us.